Pierre-Marc Bouchard

As the summer draws to a close so too does the Minnesota Wild’s most exciting offseason in history. In addition to the well publicized Zach Parise, Ryan Suter Fourth of July signings, the Wild added needed depth in forwards Zenon Konopka and Torrey Mitchell. They also re-signed steady backup net minder Josh Harding to below market value.

The result has been a boost of optimism for a club that so desperately needed it.

All parties involved-ownership, management, players, and fans- watched as the team slowly came down from the high of a promising start for their franchise. In the Wild’s first ten seasons, they qualified for the postseason three times, won a divi...

The New York Islanders will take on the Minnesota Wild tonight. The Islanders have been playing well lately, staying in every game they’ve played since breaking their long losing streak almost a month ago. Despite a 4-0-2 stretch which saw the young Isles climb back up the standings, their most recent games, regardless of their improved play, have not yielded the type of success they have needed in the standings. They have walked away from recent games where 2 points was well within their grasp.

There are many stages to a rebuild, and the Islanders seem to be on the right track for a slow, steady, and successful one. We saw this season during their long losing streak, that unlike last season when they took the ice for each game with a look of despair, that this team comes out of the locker room hungry and expecting to win every time they play.

The next lesson that this young group needs to learn is simple: Finish Games.